Formula milk is made especially for infants. Although it is best to breastfeed the infants, there are situations when the mother is not available or is unable to breastfeed the baby. Therefore, there is an especially designed milk for such babies.
What is it?
Formula milk is made from the milk of cows but it is treated to make it suitable for infants. Regular cow milk can cause an upset stomach or any other problem. Therefore, it needs treatment so that babies can have it.
You will find a number of brands in the market that sell formula milk. But if cow milk is not to the liking of your infant, you can try out the Holle Baby Formula. They have a wide range of formula kinds of milk. One of their types is the one that is made from goat milk. So you can try out that one too to let your baby have a different taste. Go to their website to look at the wide range of formula milk that they have.
Different types
The main types of formula milk that you will find in the market are:
1. Milk-based formula
The most common and the most widely used one is the milk-based formula. Usually, it is made from the milk of a cow but you can also find it in the goat’s milk variant. This milk is altered to make it taste more like breast milk. Therefore, babies can easily drink it without any discomfort. In addition to this, the treatment also makes the milk easy to digest for babies.
Although there are some exceptional cases, this type of baby formula is suitable for almost all babies. Furthermore, it has the right amount of nutrients. Therefore, it will provide enough energy to your baby.
If you are thinking that this is also cow’s milk so why is there a need to get the formula one? Additionally, it is more expensive. The answer is rather simple. We have already told you that it is called formula milk because it has been treated to make it suitable for babies.
If you directly feed the milk of a cow to your baby, he or she won’t be able to digest it. As a result of this, the baby will have an upset stomach.
If the formula packaging seems too expensive, you can try giving him cow milk only after the baby turns 1 year old. Before that, it would be only harmful to the health of your infant.
2. Soy milk-based formula
Another category that you will find in the market is the soy-milk-based formula. Some babies have an intolerance for lactose and animal milk is rich in lactose. Therefore, such babies cannot drink cow, goat or camel milk. Therefore, this milk is designed especially for such babies. However, this is not limited to them only. Any baby can have it.
This milk is extracted from soybeans, so it is a plant-based protein source for infants. Again, the milk is treated to make it suitable and digestible for babies. Giving raw soy milk to the baby means playing with his gut because it will only do harm to him.
Another reason for going for this formula milk is your choice. If you are a vegan and you want to keep your child to your taste, you would like to go for this one. In addition to this, if your baby does not like to drink the milk of a cow, you can try giving him this one.
3. Extensively hydrolyzed formula
This is also made from milk but the difference is that the protein of the milk is treated to break it down into very small parts. Thus, it becomes easier for the infant to digest it. As a result of this treatment, every infant can easily intake it.
Why the need for extensive treatment? You must also have this question in your mind. If your baby is normal, you are lucky enough to have that. However, not all babies and parents are lucky. Some of them are allergic to milk and even soy milk. Therefore, they cannot have any of that. So what will they have then? You cannot breastfeed them or give them any other milk. That is why the only solution left is to try this one. It exists for babies with special needs.
Different forms of formulas
You will also find some formula types in the market. These types are:
Powdered form
The powdered formula is usually the cheapest one. So if you have financial problems, you can try using it. There is nothing wrong with it. The only thing is that it takes some time to prepare it. You will have to boil the water and make it come at room temperature and then mix the formula.
In addition to this, you cannot keep it in the bottle for a long time. So you will need to prepare it at the moment when your baby is hungry.
Ready-to-use type
Another type that you will find is the one that is easy to use. It is a complete formula and is made especially for times when you cannot find clean water. So if your area has a problem with its water, you would need to go with this. However, this is the most expensive formula that you will get. Moreover, you will need to finish it within 48 hours of making it.
Conclusion
These are some of the types that you will find in the market. You can choose to go with any of them if your child does not have any special requirements. However, if your child is allergic to something or is lactose intolerant, the doctor will suggest the right type.
But if you think that the recommended one is more expensive, you can ask the doctor for that. He can suggest a cheaper option that would also offer the same formulation.
